Writing advice, publication opportunities, and thoughts on books, language, and life from Donna Volkenannt, winner of the Erma Bombeck Humor Award. Donna believes great stories begin in a writer's imagination and touch a reader's heart.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Happy New Year and Some Writing Advice

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope your Christmas holidays were joyful.

I'm always excited around this time of year. It's a time of back and forth.

Time to look back at the old year while looking forward to the new. Time for a fresh start and maybe a change in direction.

Last year was my most prolific and profitable as a writer, and I'm hoping 2011 will be even more prolific. Here's a recap of what kept me busy writing in 2010:

* My essays and short stories were included in six publications, including two Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and I had one acceptance late in the year for anthology to be published this spring.

* I won a few awards--and a bit of cash.

* Dozens of my reviews and author interviews were published on Bookreporter, Kidsreads and Teenreads.

What's neat about being able to interview authors is that I get paid to ask questions of other writers and learn from them. Here's a sampling of some of my 2010 interviews:

In this Jan 2010 interview, award-winning author Kathryn Lasky talks about her writing process and the important of research.

My May 2010 interview with Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author and illustrator of the Lunch Lady series, is one of my favorites. He talks about the influence his grandparents had on him and shares the exciting information about Lunch Lady being made into a movie staring Amy Poehler.

Here's some great advice from Cynthia Lord about first drafts--"dare to be bad" and "get it done." I love her book Touch Blue. Read the entire October 2010 interview here.

If you've ever wondered how to make your characters come alive on the page, here's a tip from a November 2010 interview with bestselling and award-winning author, Walter Dean Myers.

Hope you enjoy reading the writing advice from these experts.

Wishing you all many joys and blessings and a healthy, happy, and holy 2011.

Hi Sioux,Aw. Shucks. Don't be in awe of me.I'm in awe of the authors, but I try not to get too excited when I come up with questions.It was an e-mail interview via my editor (Tom) at Bookreporter. After I get my assignment I come up with interview questions, send them to Tom, then he forwards them to the author. I don't get to read the answers to my questions until they appear on the Bookreporter website. But still . . .

"Time Will Tell" in Mysteries of the Ozarks, Vol V, from Ozark Writers Inc.

Some Favorite Quotes

"Grace changes us and change is painful."Flannery O'Connor***"Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand."Saint Augustine**"The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why."Mark Twain**"Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once and a while you could miss it."Ferris Bueller

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Donna Volkenannt

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